It’s been a whirlwind summer for several members of Team USA who won gold at the 2026 Olympics. This group of individuals literally changed the NHL overnight as teams looked to build super teams, with multiple trade requests filed first privately, then publicly. While Zach Werenski and the Columbus Blue Jackets resolved their situation for now, Connor Hellebuyck chose not to show up for Winnipeg Jets training camp, with Dylan Larkin showing up but hurt and not in the mood to talk.
Why the Trade Request from Connor Hellebuyck Differs from Dylan Larkin
One day, stories will be written about the group texts and chats from members of this team, but for now the focus is on the NHL. As training camps open up, have we learned anything new about Connor Hellebuyck and the Winnipeg Jets, and Dylan Larkin and the Detroit Red Wings?
Connor Hellebuyck wants out of Winnipeg as Jets wait for right price
Winnipeg Jets General Manager Kevin Cheveldayoff met with the media on Wednesday after suspending goaltender Connor Hellebuyck for not reporting to camp. He confirmed that after the season was over and Connor Hellebuyck made his now-infamous speech to the media, the franchise goalie did, in fact, request a trade. However, for the sake of the process, Cheveldayoff, at Hellebuyck’s request, kept that request private.
“There’s probably a lot of why’s, and unfortunately, the situation is what it is,” Cheveldayoff told the media on Wednesday. “The choices he (Hellebuyck) makes are the choices he makes.”
Will Connor Hellebuyck start the year with the Winnipeg Jets? Could he holdout?
Hellebuyck, through his agent, went public with his trade request in a statement, and the Jets countered with their own. However, the Winnipeg Jets aren’t going to trade him just to trade him and appease him. As Kevin Cheveldayoff noted, the goal was to remain competitive and win. That’s how he looks at it when it comes to the return for his franchise goalie.
“We’ve been dealing with it for a period of time now. Just looking to find a resolution that works for both sides, certainly for the players and the fans of the Winnipeg Jets,” Cheveldayoff added.
However, it has not been easy. Cheveldayoff said reports of terrible trade offers were inaccurate. They just weren’t up to par with what he thinks he should get for an elite player in the NHL, since it’s about winning in Winnipeg.
“I think you know what we have to understand here is that we’re talking about moving Connor Hellebuyck,” Cheveldayoff said on Thursday. “We’re talking about moving a player that’s been very, very important to this franchise and is a very good player in the National Hockey League. And we expect, I guess, that a level of return would be commensurate to that. We’re still trying to win. Period.”
It Doesn’t Feel Like a Connor Hellebuyck Trade is Close to Happening
So if that is the case, you can see why the Jets have not been able to pull the trigger on a deal. They want to do right by the team, not just the player. All options are on the table for the Winnipeg Jets and Connor Hellebuyck, as Cheveldayoff said, “He is family until he is not.”
Dylan Larkin is in Detroit but will keep trade request reasons to himself
A day after Shawn Horcoff met the media as the new interim GM for the Detroit Red Wings, former captain Dylan Larkin spoke with the media and didn’t give much of an update on where things stood with his trade request.
“I understand that there’s answers that fans and people that care about this organization around the world want to know, but I’m really not ready to go there,” Larkin told the media. “And it’s maybe something that I may never be, you know? And it wasn’t easy to get to that decision. It was very hard. It wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment thing. I don’t take what I did lightly, and I got to that point, and I’m not quite ready to talk about it.”
NHL Rumors: The latest with Dylan Larkin and Simon Edvinsson
Larkin told the media he asked for a trade at the end of the season and was not happy the request went public. However, he got to a point where he knew it was time and best for him. However, despite the change in management, Larkin would not go into specifics about whether his trade request still stands.
In addition, like Horcoff the day before, Larkin didn’t go into detail about ongoing conversations with the Red Wings. He wants to keep those private.
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